…though these are far from ’empty………..

 

As my village knows Miss Small has now been riding for about 18 months and is about to compete in her second show tomorrow (last show she got a first in her class of Beginner Rider!) so despite a lifetime in almost total ignorance of riding, except for some childhood excursions with my horse-mad cousin, I am now plunged into a new world.

As a teacher-librarian I am well aware that the love of ‘horsey’ books never diminishes and as it happens I’ve acquired quite a few over the past few months – all of them delightful!

First up, the continuation of Starlight Stables:

Starlight Stables: Brumby Rescue (Book 5) – Soraya Nicholas

Penguin

9780143787440

January 2, 2018

Puffin

RRP: $12.99

This delightful and engaging series continues with young Poppy bidding on an extremely beautiful brumby at auction, fully convinced she can tame him. Everyone else thinks she’s crazy!  The task proves more difficult than Poppy could imagine but this series is about determination and passion and Poppy is not about to give up on her dream. And as usual, Aunt Sophie is ever helpful. After a few contretemps, she suggests a camp out at the Barmah Muster and thinks it’s possible that Storm could be up for it, given enough training. After all, it will allow Poppy to take Storm to his own stamping grounds and maybe give her the edge she needs to truly win his confidence with her.

While Poppy works with Storm when she can, Sophie also trains him while Pops is at school. Together they make a formidable team of rider and horse. Even though Poppy adores her pony Crystal, there is something so special about wild Storm that excites her so much that she is determined to make him just as awesome as the other horses in the stables.  When Storm begins to respond, Poppy and Sophie both know they have a very special horse on their hands. Roll on the Barmah Muster!

Starlight Stables: Barmah Brumbies (Book 6) – Soraya Nicholas

Penguin

9780143787433

January 2, 2018

Puffin

RRP: $12.99

 

What could possibly be more exciting for three horse-mad girls than a five day trail ride through a national park camping out and spotting wild brumbies? Well of course, not much!  Not only do the girls get to experience a fabulous adventure but they also learn much about the origins and history of the brumby population and also, why some locals would rather those wild horses be gone from the bush. In the process there is also much to be learned about other introduced species such as the fox and while measures to contain these seem cruel to the girls, there is much sense in what is being done to preserve the native wildlife. For sensitive animal-loving children this can be a very fraught issue indeed and this book will do much to balance the argument.

Of course, adventures abound during the trail ride and the girls are up for almost anything – whether it’s ‘allowed’ or not.

Children who love horses will adore these books because they are not only necessarily ‘horsey’ but chockfull of horsiness, friendship, challenges and the Australian setting.

 

Competing for the Cup: (Ride: Book 2) – Bobbi JG Weiss

Walker Books

ISBN: 9780763698553
Imprint: Candlewick Entertainment

May 2018

RRP: $14.99

Apparently this is derived from a show on Nickelodeon, of which I plead ignorance, but feel that it’s possible I will be searching out DVDs before Christmas. I’ve not read the first in the series but it seems that young Kit Bridges has relocated to England (from USA) with her father Rudy, following her mother’s death. Rudy has taken on a position at an elite equestrian boarding school and Kit is now a pupil there. All in all, it’s been difficult for them both but there are positives, one of which is Kit’s favoured horse TK. However, TK is a tad problematic and while Kit is keen to overcome any difficulties, there is a great deal of pressure from the Head of School due to the need to keep the school’s standing right up in the higher echelons of riding. Needless to say, as a boarding school and a new girl therein, there are also other more personal problems with which to deal.

 

All in all, this is a pleasant but not demanding read and somewhat lacks the overall excitement and energy of other similar series. Despite that, it goes without saying that the horsey kids will still love it and there are plenty of both boy and girl characters with whom to become engaged.

 

The Promise Horse – Jackie Merchant

Walker Books

ISBN: 9781760650568
Imprint: Walker Books Australia
Release Date: July 1, 2018

RRP: $16.99

 

I really loved this book. It’s not just horsey but explores many nuances of family life and relationships. Harry is pretty upset when she and her parents move from the city to the country to be nearer her grandparents. This is  not because she doesn’t love her grandparents nor because she doesn’t want the promised horse as ‘recompense’ for the move but moreso because she hates being the new kid in school – especially the overly tall, gawky red-headed kid with the dead sister. Harry still hears Sissy constantly – a problem for her parents and clearly the counsellors but Harry knows that she is not ready to let Sissy go.

The ‘promised horse’ appears in the form of a borrowed ex-show horse called Marksman who is as out-of-place as Harry due to his huge size. Accustomed only to the school ponies in the city, Harry has her work cut out for her as she learns to gain confidence with Marksman and override the helicopter concerns of her mother. She also has to deal with a school bully who also rides but when she sees Billy’s problems with his father, she develops real insight into his attitude.

Harry’s progress working out issues with bullying while making new friends, her mother’s grief and her own reluctance to let go of Sissy makes for compelling reading for both boys and girls. The horsey readers will also really appreciate the details of Harry’s training and first gymkhana.

Fabulous read for kidlets from around 8 years upwards.

 

Horses Wild & Tame – Iris Volant/Jarom Vogel

Flying Eye Books

ISBN 9781911171324

January 2018

RRP : $27.99

 

I just LOVE the Flying Eye non-fiction books that come my way and naturally this one was extremely well-received by both myself and Miss Small. Always elegant and a visual treat, these books are the kind to be pored over at length. This one traces the origins of the horse and then explores the many variations, legendary incarnations, domesticity, uses and evolution of this superb animal. It includes interesting information such as the formation of the hoof and famous or iconic horses and will beguile a horse lover for hours.  This is Jarom Vogel’s first foray into illustration and is both striking and engaging and a wonderful match for the text.

This is one that will not make its way to the library shelves but remain firmly on our own so that Miss Small can continue to revel in its beauty and revelations.